Pet ownership around the world, particularly in such countries as the United States and Australia, is highly prevalent. In the United States alone, there are approximately seventy-three million dogs owned as pets. Almost forty percent of U.S. households own at least one dog. Of pet owners in the U.S., sixty percent own one dog, twenty-five percent of owners own two dogs, and fourteen percent of owners own three or more dogs.
It is now more important than ever to provide pets with the highest level of care. Pet owners are also becoming increasingly aware of new and tested responsibilities involved with pet ownership and proper care of pets. It is recommended, for example, that owners provide their pets with a well-balanced diet, as well as plenty of water. In fact, many believe that the provision of food and water care for dogs and other animal pets has approached the same diligence as applied to human family members.
Ironically, as the responsibilities of pet care increase, owners seemingly have less and less time to tend to the needs of their pets. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for quick, efficient, convenient, and/or simple methods and devices for taking care of pets or tending to their needs. These methods and devices should ideally blend into the owners' daily routine, thereby increasing the chances that the owners will comply, and in turn, provide high-quality care to their pets.
As with any living organism, pets, such as dogs, rely on water on a daily basis to live. Busy owners have traditionally tended to meet their pet's needs by serving water (and other consumable liquids) in bowls or standing dishes. Unfortunately, standing water is often subject to contamination, such as by microorganisms and/or other environmental factors, including chemicals or particulates. Moreover, standing water is not suitable for owners and pets, who are “on-the-go,” such as when pets accompany their owners during exercise, such as walks and hikes, and other activities such as shopping, that may cause physical exertion and/or dehydration in the pet owner, pet, or both. Often these activities take place in locations having limited access to drinking facilities or locations that are not close enough to return home quickly. In many cases, even if water is available, it is may not be physically accessible or cannot be given to the pet because of social constraints or socially accepted etiquette.
The conventional art includes several methods and devices to provide pets with portable water solution, particularly when the owners and/or pets are not able to access standing water in bowls and/or are not stationary in one place for long periods. One common method to provide pets water while on-the-go is pouring water into human hands and allowing the water to be lapped (i.e., take in a liquid or food with the tongue) by the pet. This method may not only be unhygienic, but is often inefficient. That is, most of the water “cupped” in the hand is inadvertently spilled, resulting in very little water uptake by the animal.
The prior art includes many devices that require the pet owner to carry additional pieces along with the water supply, e.g., water bottle, making it cumbersome and inconvenient for the owner. Thus, there is a level of inconvenience because owners have to carry multiple parts and assembly of the parts may be complicated or take extra time. Such devices are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,401,954, 6,718,912, 6,237,800, 6,019,244, 5,960,742, and 5,810,194, for example. These devices fail to provide a suitable apparatus for serving the consumable substance, e.g., food or water, which is integrated with a fully portable container.
In U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0079762, the inventors disclose a portable drinking device for pets adapted to be used with a conventionally-shaped, water bottle, wherein the device includes a lapping pan and a clip assembly for carrying the water bottle. The invention provides an adequate structure to promote lapping and efficient consumption of the water by the pet. This device, however, is notably inconvenient because the pet owner must always remember to carry this device to attach to, and complement, the water bottle. That is, the invention is a separate device to be used in addition to the water delivery apparatus, i.e., a bottle. Even if such a device were to be integrated with the bottle, it would add significant manufacturing expense and far more cumbersome design, which would like make it less efficient to store.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,800 discloses a dual-purpose water bottle having a cylindrical shape and having a perpendicularly disposed dividing wall roughly half-way down the cylindrical shape. One end of the water bottle includes an openable and detachable drinking spout, and the opposite end includes a roller ball drinking mechanism, which is intended for use by dogs. The roller ball, however, does not allow the animal to lap water in a manner similar to a dog bowl. It is undesirable to provide a receptacle or method unfamiliar to the dog or other pet.
It is desirable to have a portable device for consumption of substances, such as food or fluids by an animal, such as a pet, that is convenient, efficient, and multipurpose. Consumers seek a convenient way of ensuring that their pets receive adequate care, particularly adequate hydration. A desired device should allow pet owners to feed consumables (liquids, semi-solids, and/or solids) to their pets to avoid dehydration of the pet and/or maintain the general health of the pet. Accordingly, it is desirable to give a consumer on a walk with a dog, for example, the ability to purchase a water bottle from a convenient store, drink from the conventional opening, and then provide a remaining amount of water in the bottle to his/her dog by closing the conventional top and providing lapping access through a secondary opening. Such a bottle should preferably have a conventional configuration for the overall size and shape so as to comply with conventional storage standards and devices, such as water crates and cup holders and to provide pet owners and pets with a familiar look and feel. The bottle should also limit the number of supplementary parts that must be used in conjunction with the bottle by integrating the secondary opening within the structure of the bottle.
There is an unmet need to remedy the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a portable drinking solution for animals, particularly pets, which does not require the pet owner to use or carry any supplemental device or apparatus. There is also a need in the art for an apparatus for efficiently and hygienically providing drinking fluids to animals.